Birds of Tonbridge
What has actually been seen around Tonbridge: 141 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 141 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 8,067 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 23 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Tonbridge
141 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Tonbridge (Kent) since 2010, across 8,067 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Magpie.
Tonbridge is a garden-bird place: 72% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Magpie and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. A hawk that hunts feeder birds is among them, so set feeders 2–3 metres from shrubs: close enough for cover, far enough that a cat can't ambush from it.
Records peak in May and are lowest in November — about 5.5 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and winter visitors), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.
Hildenborough, 4 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (134 against 141).
Daylight runs from 16 h 35 min at midsummer to 7 h 53 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:42 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Tonbridge
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 398 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 347 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 342 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 330 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 327 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 317 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 267 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 230 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 228 |
| 10 | SwiftApus apus | 179 |
| 11 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 178 |
| 12 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 177 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 174 |
| 14 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 169 |
| 15 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 163 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 153 |
| 17 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 149 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 144 |
| 19 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 143 |
| 20 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 136 |
Records by month
What to put out in Tonbridge
Seasonal bird notes for Kent
What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for UK gardens. One email a month at most.
Nearby places
Frequently asked
What birds visit gardens in Tonbridge?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Tonbridge are Woodpigeon, Robin, Magpie, Blackbird and Carrion Crow, based on 8,067 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Tonbridge?
141 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Tonbridge?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:42.
Sources
- GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
- GeoNames gazetteer (place, population, elevation)
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.